Cat & Mouse
by Atri
Summary: One moment of hesitation costs Draco Malfoy. To prove his loyalty to the Dark Lord, he must break the Golden Trio by seducing Hermione Granger. Rated T just in case.


A/N: I was reading over my only other published fic, and I thought that it would be interesting to expand it into a chapter fic. So don't read it if you don't want to know what the story is about and what will happen. DM/HG, pre-HBP. Obviously AU. Also, I don't own Harry Potter. Don't sue me, k?

Ooooooooo

At first, it looked like nothing had gone wrong. Sirius was more than capable of dueling his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange. The two battled fiercely, years of hatred burning in the both of them. They were oblivious to the rest of the people fighting around them, this was personal.

Then the spell hit him squarely in the chest and he gasped one agonized time. Bellatrix, in her amazement that she'd just won, froze. Her eyes bulged, that horrible laughter of hers suddenly ceased.

But Sirius didn't fall to the ground. It seemed as though time itself stood still as every fighter, Death Eater and Order alike, stopped to see what would happen to him.

He staggered back once, twice, then slipped into the mysterious Veil and he was suddenly gone. And everyone knew without a doubt that he was dead.

Then Bellatrix skipped off down the hall, perhaps to draw Harry Potter away from the battle? Her high pitched squeals of delight echoed down the halls of the Ministry, "I killed Sirius Black! I killed Sirius Black!"

Draco Malfoy heard later that Voldemort had been there and he'd been beaten back by Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore. But he didn't see it. Nobody even knew he was there. He stayed hidden and watched the battle from safety in a kind of morbid fascination. But of course the Dark Lord found out. And he gave Draco one last chance to prove himself.

Oooooooo

_Four months later…_

Hermione Granger had thought things couldn't get any worse when Lord Voldemort returned. She'd been proven wrong when Sirius died. But when Snape announced to his O.W.L potion class that they would be working on a term-long potions project with a partner of his choosing, she had a terrible feeling that she'd just been proven wrong again.

She could feel Ron squirming uncomfortably beside her, and she forced herself to focus on what Snape was telling them.

"You will be working from now until Christmas to perfect the five potions you'll be expected to create for your O.W.L examinations: Felix Felicis, the Draught of Peace, Veritaserum, Amortentia, and Babbling Beverages."

There was a snicker from one of the students in the back at the mention of the last potion. Snape's eyes flashed dangerously but he did not punish the offending student. "You will also be responsible for a five foot long parchment on the significance of the ingredients of each potion-" Groans erupted and Snape raised his voice, "With another two feet on the effects of the potions."

"He's barking." Ron said, aghast. "How are we supposed to do all that and keep up with our other classes as well?"

"When do you actually ever try to do your homework?" Harry grinned. "If all else fails, Hermione will help us out."

"How about you try to do your own work for a change?" Hermione laughed quietly, only half kidding.

"I will now decide who you will work with." Snape continued. He moved down the line of cauldrons assigning people as he went. Naturally he mostly paired Gryffindors with Slytherins. Finally, he stopped before the three of them with a tight grin on his face. "Weasley…"

Ron automatically moved towards Harry.

"I don't think so." Snape sneered. "Weasely, why don't you partner with Crabbe?"

"Potter…Parkinson." Snape continued. He stopped when he got in front of Hermione and he smirked.

"Granger…you'll partner with Mr. Malfoy."

She gaped, but no sound came out. Malfoy looked strained, but to Hermione's surprise, he didn't vocalize his objections. His work done, Snape turned to the rest of the class.

"Class dismissed."

Ooooooooooooo

Malfoy had known in advance what Snape was going to do, but that didn't stop the jolt from surging through his body when his and Granger's names were called.

Why, oh why had he followed the Boy Who Just Won't Die and his pathetic friends to the Ministry of Magic? He'd known what was going on. He knew Sirius Black was not in danger, knew that the whole thing was a trap so Harry Potter would remove the prophecy from the Department of Mysteries for the Dark Lord. So why had he gone? To finally see them all suffer? They pranced around the school like they were the golden ones, higher than everyone else when there was not a high class pureblood among them, just blood traitors like Weasley and nutters like Loony Lovegood.

The Dark Lord had not been pleased, to say the least…

"_My Lord?" Lucius Malfoy dared to speak. He and Draco were kneeling before the Dark Lord in forest outside London. Blood trickled down Draco's face from the blow he'd received from his father when his inactivity in the Department of Mysteries was discovered. But Draco didn't move. _

"_Your son is quite charming." The Dark Lord said after several moments of silence._

_Draco felt a shock go through him. Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't that. "Sir?" he ventured._

_Night had fallen. The dust was beginning to settle on the battlefield the Ministry of Magic had become during the day and although the day could hardly be considered a success, at least that pureblood traitor, Sirius Black, was gone._

"_I had a revelation today." Voldemort continued. He turned to the younger Malfoy. "Harry Potter, as we have always known, is nothing special. He relies on those around him to keep him strong, and he will do anything to protect them. He proved that today when he believed Black to be in danger. That is his weakness._

"_So Draco, you are in his year at school and you are physically closest to him. I want you to break him. I want you to break him by removing those around him. And you will start with the mudblood. I want you to seduce her."_

_At that, Draco choked. "…Excuse me?"_

"_You heard me." Voldemort said coolly. "Seduce her. Make her fall in love with you. And when the time comes, kill her."_

"_Sir." Draco said desperately, trying to grasp onto the situation. "Would it not be easier to just hand her over to your Death Eaters, or just take care of her myself?"_

"_Easier, yes. But as effective? If you were to kill Granger now, Potter would believe her eternally loyal to him. But if you manage to turn her away from him, If he believed she loved you, it would destroy him. It would weaken him to where it would be easy to strike. And so that is what you will do, Draco. Or the Malfoy line will end."_

The thought made Draco want to be sick. As soon as Snape dismissed the class, he thrust his books into his bag and headed for the door. He was not ready to deal with her just yet. But she beat him to it. "Malfoy." She said curtly.

"Granger." He replied just as coolly. "You're in my way."

"You're going to have to deal with me at some point. Like it or not we're stuck together until December, you can't run away forever."

At that he laughed. "Run away? I don't run away from anyone or anything, not even your filthy mudblood face."

"Go to hell." She hissed, and she abruptly turned and left the dungeons. Draco watched her go with a sigh. It was going to be a long year.


End file.
